IK Multimedia’s newly announced ARC ON·EAR system is the latest in the company’s line of ‘Advanced Room Corrective’ products - a series aiming to give producers and music-makers the most perfectly-tailored listening experience when working on their projects.
The difference, with ARC ON·EAR here is that the 'room' in question in an entirely virtual simulation, constructed to help those mixing solely in headphones.
A small portable hardware device, the ARC ON·EAR immediately corrects any set of headphones’ frequency response to create what IK say is an accurately-modelled recreation of the soundstage of a set of pro-level monitors within a virtual studio environment.
The result? You’re essentially situated in an accurate aural model of a real, well-treated studio - as opposed to the often extreme left/right stereo image presented by (pretty much) any pair of headphones. Some of the frequency discrepancies between the two mixing situations simply being inherently problematic with listening without the context of a room, regardless of the quality of the cans.
The company has leaned on its proprietary DSP and physical modelling skillset to pull this off, with over 20 high-end monitor profiles available at launch, alongside 15 multimedia playback systems.
“Unlike plug-ins or impulse-based ‘virtual rooms’ ARC ON·EAR utilizes advanced physical modeling to recreate the behavior of real studio monitors in an ideal acoustic space,” IK Multimedia says. “There are no artificial reverbs or timbral coloration, just the natural depth, width, and clarity of a real control room - right in the user’s headphones.”
These additional virtual models allow users to test out their mix within a variety of situations. From a car audio system, a smartphone's speakers, various TV set speakers or via a soundbar. This could prove an incredibly useful insight when trying to grapple with how your mix responds in those places where it is most likely to be heard.
Inside the tiny, durable box lay a powerful 32-bit ESS Sabre convertor, a high-damping-factor, ultra-low distortion power amplifier and a digitally-controlled analog volume stage.
The ARC ON·EAR also serves as a premium DAC, which the company say will present ‘bit-perfect’ sound regardless of your playback volume, with impressive headroom and a low distortion floor.
Although the unit is ready to go out of the box, and controllable via three buttons and a large volume knob, the ARC ON-EAR is best served by coupling it with the purpose-designed control software. Using this software, users can tailor their personal listening preferences and find the optimal model of their own headphones.
“Measured with state-of-the-art reference rigs, to ensure accurate, transparent, and reliable sound,” IK Multimedia state. “With support for hundreds of popular headphone models, users will experience the mix exactly as it should sound - clear, balanced, and true to life.”
At launch, there’s over 250 headphone profiles (with more, it is said, to come shortly) within IK’s headphone database. Choosing any one of these models will automatically adjust the frequency response to suit their particular quirks and characteristics, in conjunction with your selected monitor (or playback system) model.
In terms of connectivity, both USB-C and 3.5mm audio inputs are provided, and the device is compatible with any OS, app or playback system.
5 presets can be stored on the device itself for instant recall and a four-hour battery means no additional power supply is needed. This means that you can take the durable, aluminium chassis-housed ARC ON-EAR on the road with you without worry.
This all sounds very useful, and could provide those producers or music-makers on a budget a fantastic way to replicate a pro-level studio without having to actually build (or pay to spend time in) one.
Plus, the range of playback systems and monitor models sound like it could be a real boon for A/Bing a mix across different setups.
We’ll give our verdict once we’ve tested it.
The IK ARC ON·EAR is available now for €249.99/$249.99 (£220) + VAT.
Find out more and order over at IK Multimedia's website, or in the overview video below with IK's CTO, Davide Barbi
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